Sunset Cinema: Roman Holiday

Audrey Hepburn on the Pier

This week the Wharf's free Wednesday movie goes classic: Roman Holiday, the 1953 film where Audrey Hepburn plays a princess who sneaks away from her royal schedule and spends one perfect day loose in Rome with Gregory Peck. I'll admit a black and white movie is a harder sell to a seven year old than a Pixar night. But the Vespa scenes still land, the gelato scene still lands, and something about watching it outside with boats drifting past makes the whole thing feel less like homework.

The setup is the same easy formula as every Sunset Cinema night: screen on Transit Pier, movie at 7:30, a limited batch of free Adirondack chairs at 7, blankets and camp chairs after that. It's free with no tickets, dogs on a leash are fine, and you can carry dinner from any Wharf restaurant onto the pier. Worst case, the kids watch the water taxis instead of the movie and everyone still goes home happy. That's the quiet insurance policy of movie night at the Wharf.

Parent Tips 💡

• ✓Come at 6:30, not 7:30. Chair handout is at 7pm and the good blanket spots go before the sun drops.
• ✓Sell the movie right. Tell the kids it's about a princess who runs away from her own palace. That's the whole pitch, and it works.
• ✓Pack a light layer. The channel breeze cools the pier fast after sunset, even in August.
• ✓Burn energy first. The splash fountain at District Pier and the promenade swings are the pre-movie routine.
• ✓Come back Saturday. DockDogs takes over this same pier on Aug 8, and it's the event of the week.